According to Holly Francisco, New York’s Capitol Office Director, there are “many individuals across our state (and the entire country) who (quite often illegally) obtain a lion/tiger or some other Big Cat and set up a small zoo-like operation. These individuals rarely have the expertise or the facilities necessary to properly care for these animals and are merely assuming this responsibility in order to exploit the creature and make money off of public interaction with it. These operations encourage illegal trade and breeding of these animals as well as require a constant influx of cubs, resulting in more unmanageable and unwanted adult cats down the line. We believe that by prohibiting physical contact with the public, the monetary incentive is lost and many fewer individuals will choose to operate one of these facilities.”

Though the proposed Big Cat and Public Safety Protection Act still sits before Congress, New York has decided not to wait for the federal government to act. The stakes are too high. They have passed A.9004-C/S.6903-C, a bill you can view HERE.

Today, The Wildcat Sanctuary sent a letter to Governor Cuomo, explaining the need for this bill and encouraging his immediate action (see below). We hope you will add your voice by contacting the Governor’s officer HERE,
asking for his signature.

As a stakeholder in the issues covered by A.9004-C/S.6903-C, which prohibits direct contact between the general public and dangerous big cats, we urge your swift signing of this bill. The time for passing a bill regulating public contact with deadly carnivores is long overdue and we applaud New York for taking this initiative.

We are currently home to over 100 wild cats that, for many tragic reasons, have been in need of rescue. We have had to take several in from New York. Our life-saving work has helped cats from 29 states, including your state, and two countries.

As of 2012, there were an estimated 10,000 – 20,000 big cats in private hands – and that number continues to climb as owners continue breeding them for profit. It may seem surprising that 95% of all tigers in the United States are privately owned. But, as with most industries driven by profit, public interaction opportunities are fueling this breeding and spike in private ownership.

With so little regulation in place, exotic and big cat ownership has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry. When a baby tiger cub can be purchased for less than a purebred dog, we have a serious problem on our hands. We’ve seen, over and over again, how easily big cats can be bought by most anyone at auctions, from backyard breeders, on the illegal black market, via internet brokers, stolen from their natural wild habitats, or picked up as discarded surplus from zoos, roadside attractions, game ranches, etc. Case in point was when New York’s Catskill Game Farm closed down, auctioning off almost 1000 animals to fates unknown – including canned hunting facilities and private exhibitors.

At first cute and cuddly and able to draw in the petting/photo op crowds, the tigers cubs so easily obtained soon grow into dangerous carnivores. All too often, with the mounting expenses of caring for them and with the danger they present, they’re destined to life in a backyard cage under deplorable conditions. There are few rehoming options for them and there will never be enough sanctuaries to take in all these unwanted big cats.

Besides ending the rampant breeding caused by the public contact market, S. 6902 will also help assure public safety. Since 2000, 21 people have died and 246 have been mauled by exotic cats. Captive tigers alone have killed at least 12 people in the US and mauled over 75 more. There have been 253 escapes, 143 big cat deaths and 131 confiscations. Yet, there are still many states that refuse to require even a permit or license in order to buy a big cat. As recently as June of 2011, only 21 states ban private ownership of exotics, 8 states have a partial ban, and 13 states require a permit or license.

By signing this bill, New York will be taking a giant step forward with much needed legislation in this area. Your state will be bringing greater control to a largely unregulated practice. We look forward to your swift passage of this bill.

]]>http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/the-wildcat-sanctuary-encourages-gov-cuomos-signature-on-big-cat-legislation/feed/0Awwwww, I want one!http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/awwwww-i-want-one/
http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/awwwww-i-want-one/#commentsWed, 12 Mar 2014 01:39:22 +0000?p=12685The phone rings, our heart sinks. You know what the caller will probably be asking, “Can you take in this wild cat?”

The story is often the same. An owner who loved cats, who bought the wild cat as a cute and cuddly cub. Who was told by the breeder that, if hand-reared, the wild cat would act tame. An owner who didn’t realize that their homeowner’s insurance would drop them, that it would be impossible to find a vet, that their city or county prohibits possession of exotics, that the cost would be so much, and that at sexual maturity, their furry baby would change.

But, because of physical space, financial restraints, staffing resources, and so many factors, we often have to say no. And we know the situation is the same for almost every accredited sanctuary in the country they might call.

So, the fate for that cat can be hopeless. Zoos won’t take them in as they face the same issues, a finite amount of space, and their wild cats come from their Species Survival Plan breeding program. Perhaps another private owner will be found, but cities and counties that allow a cage in the backyard for a carnivore are becoming fewer and fewer – which is a good thing.

The cat may be given or sold to a traveling exhibitor that visits fairs and malls. Life will be spent in a small cage on a truck without the benefit of any natural habitat at all. Conditions can be inhumane and deplorable, especially with current USDA regulations allowing a concrete-floored, fenced cage no larger than a parking spot for a full-grown, big cat’s entire life.

Or, the cat can be sold to an exotic meat distributor since we’re seeing a new fad at restaurants offering lion tacos and burgers. The meat isn’t USDA or FDA inspected, so it’s a guess how many suffer this fate.

There are more than 1000 captive hunting facilities in the USA. Shooters at captive hunts pay to kill animals—even endangered species—trapped behind fences. Often the animals are hand-raised and bottle-fed, so they aren’t afraid of people. It’s horrible to imagine, but this can be where many failed “pets” and “photo op” wild cats end up, too.

It’s estimated a dead tiger is worth up to $50,000 for its parts. With few inspectors, the USFWS can’t possibly track the thousands of tigers bred each year, illegally sold into this lucrative trade.

These are the scenarios that go through our head when the phone rings. We try so hard to educate everyone we come in contact with about the realities for these cats, the ones that have nowhere to go. It’s a key part of our mission.

That’s why, when we read a comment like “I want one” or “I’d love to pet one” or “Where can I buy one?” – it’s heartbreaking.

But, then again, we remember this is an opportunity to educate someone who only sees the cute, alluring eyes of the tiger cub or cougar baby. They don’t realize how something that’s a “thrill of a lifetime” is really a death sentence for that cat. And we hope that, once we explain, they’ll pay it forward, teaching others. And, one day, we’ll pass a law like the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act that will cut down on all this misery and suffering.

After a neighbor discovered the lioness in his front yard, the big cat’s owner was able to put it back into its cage without incident.

Fairfield County sheriff’s Lt. Tim Voris said his department was contacted about 7 a.m. Sunday after a neighbor found the lioness in his front yard. Voris said the Sheriff’s Office and a representative from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources quickly responded. The representative did not return phone calls about the incident.

Voris said the owner, John Moore, 50, of Thornville, came out of his home and quickly brought the lioness back to her cage without incident.

“He came outside, and she made her way back to the kennel,” said Voris, who is the law enforcement representative for the sheriff’s exotic animal committee.

Moore did not respond to phone calls about the incident. Moore was a caretaker for Terry Thompson, who released more than 50 exotic animals from their cages at his Zanesville farm before committing suicide in October 2011.

Once the lioness was contained, Voris said, an inspection of her cage revealed damage to the chain link. The lock to the cage was missing, according to a sheriff’s report.

Meat products also were set outside the enclosure, the report said. Voris said the lioness was out of her cage for an undetermined amount of time.

Fairfield County Sheriff Dave Phalen said Moore had not detected any damage to the cage the last time he checked it.

Voris said there are no suspects in the case at this time.

Voris said Moore is in compliance with Ohio’s exotic animal law, and there have been no previous incidents at the property.

Originally, Voris said, Moore owned two lions, but one died last winter because of complications from an illness.

Voris said Moore has been cooperative with the Sheriff’s Office and has set up an emergency response plan in case of a situation such as the one that occurred Sunday.

In Memory 2013

We said goodbye to our dear friend Halifax this week. At 20 years old, he was an inspiration for my spirit. I remember learning how old he was when I first started five years ago and being surprised at how virile and full of life he still was. He loved any kind of enrichment but especially had a blast chasing little rocks or pine cones when thrown in his habitat. In the summertime he would even jump in the pool after them, his playful spirit was definitely contagious. He always had this sort of regal look to him, especially when he sat basking in the sun that just conjured images of him in his own native habitat watching for any prey in the savannas of Africa. I’m very sorry that he never experienced true freedom like that in his life but know that he was a happy cat and that many people loved him dearly. He had some bumps along the way with his health but he never let that get in the way of his fun for too long. 20 years is a long time to live for a cat and I believe he lived them to the fullest. I will miss seeing his handsome face every day but will always remember the fun times we had just being silly. That was one of the things I liked best about him, his ability to look so serious one second then be a total goofball the next. I am so glad that I knew Halifax he was and still is such a special boy. Goodbye sweet boy, thank you for your wonderful spirit and may you be forever free.

About Halifax

Halifax is our oldest serval. He was surrendered by an owner who loved him very much and was committed to giving him a lifetime home. After surviving breast cancer, his owner had to move near her daughter in another city that outlawed exotic pets. The owner wanted to ensure that she did not put Halifax’s life in danger and called TWS.

Halifax has really warmed up to the staff but has plenty of wild cat friends. He shares a large outdoor habitat and heated building with other servals.

]]>http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/20-years-was-still-too-short-good-bye-halifax-the-serval/feed/0Your gift today allows tigers like Lilly to make it against the odds! Through April 30th, your gift will be doubled.http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/against-the-odd/
http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/against-the-odd/#commentsMon, 11 Mar 2013 14:00:14 +0000?p=10892Your gift helps cats like Lilly! And your gift will be doubled through April 30!

Tigress Lilly made it against the odds.

Lilly was born around 1996 at a pseudo sanctuary in southern Minnesota. The facility closed down after a white tiger bit a young girl and owners were prosecuted for selling tigers – dead and alive.

When Lilly was young, she was leased out for exhibits and ‘pay to play’ opportunities. The public was allowed to have photos taken with her for a small fee. Later, she was sold to a private collector in northern Minnesota where she endured malnutrition and neglect. She was the lone survivor after several other animals died of starvation. Shockingly, Lilly survived by consuming her cage-mate who had passed away.

Lilly’s hard journey continued as she was moved to another facility. Sadly, in April of 2006, a woman was killed by another tiger there. The Wildcat Sanctuary was called to help. That was the first day of Lilly’s new life when she arrived at The Wildcat Sanctuary. She had finally made it to a true sanctuary, against the odds.

With your help, we can create more happy endings for cats like Lilly. And your gift will be doubled through April 30 by generous donors!

Your support saved Lilly! And it did the same for so many animals that now call TWS home. It has also changed the lives and mindset of so many people, too! Our work has helped educate and inspire people to keep the wild in their heart, not their home.

Recently, I received the most touching email from a young woman who knew Lilly as a cub. And because YOU helped rescue Lilly, I thought it was only fitting to share this message with all of you.

“Please say ‘Hi’ to Lilly for me. As much anger as bringing up Bear Cat Hollow fuels in me, it’s wonderful to know that at least one of my old friends survived the aftermath of that accursed place.

I was 10 years old when I first started frequenting the Hollow. I’d go almost every weekend to the point where they didn’t charge me if I helped out with the animals. It started out just cleaning, restocking the food, tending to the more domestic animals like the deer and the goats. Then I got to be in the pens, with a ‘trainer’ supervising me. Yes, these ‘experts’ allowed a pre-teen in the cages of a Liger (Sampson, the overgrown softie) and multiple full grown tigers at a time.

They kept all the cubs, lion and tiger, in a cage together, isolated from the adults (I hope to god that it was after they stopped nursing). Lilly was the only tiger cub in the one I was assigned to. The lions were more interested in playing with each other, but Lilly took more of a side to me for some reason…

Sadly, the last time I saw Lilly, she was about the size of a large dog, still very young. It was right after the Como the white tiger incident had happened, and they pretty much barred even the general public from getting anywhere near the cages. Then, before I knew it, the place had been shut down and I had hoped that all of those I cared about were now in good hands. After reading Lilly’s story, it’s heartbreaking to know I had hoped in vain for her fellows, but I’m glad at least one made it. I have yet to find out which cats she was relocated with so I can properly pay my respects, as well as the other members of the Hollow that were just shipped away as soon as the doors were closed.

She may not remember me at all after all this time, as I am now 21 with an entry level corporate job, send her my love regardless. Maybe in some way she can understand that I am proud of her for making it against the odds.

SANDSTONE, Minn – Continuing our special report Wednesday, we take you to The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone where more than 100 hundred rescued wildcats live. But the sanctuary is about to become full, and now the real push for prevention and education is about to begin, as FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports.

This is what it’s all about for the workers of The Wildcat Sanctuary:

“[To] actually see it act like a cougar or tiger for the first time and get the natural confidence they are supposed to have – run across an open area – jump on a log or perch and then just relax and take a cat nap — that’s the best reward we can ever receive,” explained Tammy Thies, the director of TWS.

The rural 40-acre site is home to 112 rescued wildcats from across the country — all thanks to $800,000 in donations every year.

“It’s all the general public going out of the kindness of their heart because they want to see an animal that was mistreated or abused to finally live with compassion and dignity,” Thies said.

But the private property is about to reach capacity and Thies says there are no plans to get any bigger to help deal with the thousands and thousands of wildcats living in people’s backyards, basements and garages.

“People don’t think of 20 years down the road this animal is going to get big; this animal is a predator,” Thies said.

The mission of The Wildcat Sanctuary won’t be going away though.
The group will still take in rescues as space opens up, but the next big phase will be education, prevention and legislation.

“Similar to puppy mills, there are breeders that breed tigers — hundreds of tigers a year — just for photo opportunities at malls, sports shows, things like that. And those tigers grow up with no place to go and what usually happens is their sold as a pet, or even worse, their parted and their parts are sold for profit,” Thies explained.

Holly Henry, caregiver and educator at WTC, says there needs to be a shift within the American culture when it comes to keeping wildcats captive.

“Everybody wants to hold and cuddle a cute little furry thing. We understand that attraction, but what’s hard to comprehend is that happens after that,” Henry said.

The sanctuary has partnered with other sanctuaries across the country to produce — and soon release — and educational book about the captive wildlife crisis.

“We’re trying to teach kids that yeah, you want to hold a little tiger cub or; it’s really intriguing to have a giant snake, [but] those aren’t appropriate pets. It’s not a doable situation. And by going out to pay $25 to pet that baby, you’re contributing to that problem,” Henry explained.

It’s a shift in perception for a problem that most Americans don’t even think about, but a problem experts say can be compared to the drug trade in America when talking raw dollars.

“So please don’t go and patronage a traveling exhibit with photo opportunities. Go to an accredited zoo that you can actually learn and educational message while benefiting the animals,” Thies said.

DULUTH – It’s estimated there are as many as 10,000 large wildcats in private ownership across the United States, and only 4,000 living in the wild. In a two-part special report, we take you to The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minn., where they’re about to take the next step in trying to end the captive wildlife crisis, as FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports.

It’s about as wild as it’s going to get in northern Minnesota when you visit The Wildcat Sanctuary, with more than 100 rescued wild cats on the 40-acre site.

It’s not a zoo by any means and it’s not open to the public, but it is a sanctuary with a mission of ending the captive wildlife crisis.
Tammy Thies is the founder of The Wildcat Sanctuary — the only one of its kind in the Midwest.

She’s been rescuing cats on this property fully on donations since 2006, and it’s been both exhilarating and heartbreaking at the same time because, she says, people still don’t understand that owning wild cats is wrong and dangerous.

“Although we love what we do, and give them a natural environment and home, we can’t rescue ourselves out of the captive wildlife crisis,” Thies said.

Every year, Thies turns away more than 300 cats that are either in people’s backyards, basements or garages.

“There are people with one or two pet cougars in the backyard. They can’t afford it. They move homes. And guess what they do? They open the door to their cougar pen, and what’s that cougar going to do, go find a person. It’s been fed by humans. It’s been talked to by humans every day,” Thies said.

The Wildcat Sanctuary is part of more than a dozen accredited facilities across the country. Thies says they all work together to find forever homes for these big beauties.

“It takes about $10,000 a year to care for a tiger. It takes anywhere from $25,000 to $60,000 to build an enclosure and to run our entire facility. It’s about an $800,000 a year budget,” Thies said.

The final expansion of this peaceful sanctuary is in the process of being built for more cats. But after that, the team is going to start heavily focusing on prevention measures so one day the sanctuary won’t be needed anymore.

“There are too many animals needing homes. Education and legislation will help prevent more animals from needing sanctuary,” Thies said.

For more information on The Wildcat Sanctuary, including ways you can help save animals, log on to

The Wildcat Sanctuary will host its beer, cider and wine tasting gala, called “Whiskers & Waves,” on Saturday evening, MARCH 23, 2013, from 6-9 p.m. in Duluth, Minnesota.

Held at the fabulous Greysolon Ballroom, this event will showcase many local and statewide breweries and wineries.

This will be a fun way to help support The Wildcat Sanctuary, as well as learn about the captive wildlife crisis. Guests will be greeted with a passport and given a souvenir glass to journey through the many tasting stations where they will enjoy photos, videos, and stories about the Sanctuary’s residents. Seeing how our residents lives have dramatically changed, since their rescue, will be a highlight of the evening.

This early evening event will feature a Feed-a-Feline Wall, a silent auction, and a gift bazaar with one-of-a-kind Sanctuary items, including some happily created by the wild cats themselves.

Tickets are $30 per person in advance, $40 per person at the door the night of the event. Entrance to the event, wine and beer tasting, appetizers, dessert, coffee and a souvenir glass are included. You will check-in under your last name at registration. Must be 21 years or older to attend.

]]>http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/whiskers-waves-2013/feed/0When a tiger dies in a backyard, who is at fault?http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/tiger-death/
http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/tiger-death/#commentsThu, 06 Sep 2012 22:49:38 +0000?p=9534UPDATE:

One of YOU, our supporters, forwarded our enewsletter on to the media and one station listened.

KSTP just aired a story regarding “Delta” and “Ohio”. The necropsy report showed that “Delta” died from stomach cancer. There is nothing anyone could have done to save him, not even his owner, but if he would have been seen by a vet, he would have been allowed to pass over painlessly and peacefully. “Delta” was sick for several weeks and barely getting up to walk and was never seen by a vet. We are hoping that airing this story will assure that the owner will provide vet care for “Ohio” if he has similar health issues, and that he gets treated by a vet for his limping and skin condition. That’s all we want – to ensure this tiger does not have the same painful fate as his brother. We do not expect the owner will surrender him but our offer still stands. Please note that The Wildcat Sanctuary does not publish or provide names of individuals and did NOT provide the name or address of the owner to the media.

Original Story: When one of our cats at the Sanctuary passes away, it is devastating. But recently, I learned that it hurts just as much when it was a cat we couldn’t help. I want to share my personal story.

Two tigers could be seen as we entered the pole barn in Chisago County, MN. A male tiger, who I am calling Delta, lay curled up on the dirt floor. Shifting his back legs in pain, he did not want to get up. But, when a staff member and I provided him water, he did. I could see the discomfort in his eyes and his gate as he slowly walked over. But he still was a calm and social tiger. Ohio, the other male, was limping in the next kennel, but in good spirits.

It had been years since I had visited this owner and her two tigers. But nothing had changed. In all these years, not ONE thing had changed, things had only deteriorated. The pool was in the same spot I had seen years earlier when it was first purchased. Now, it lay shredded in the same place, only able to hold a few inches of water. The perch was missing a complete board, but still recognizable as the same single perch. The transport crates she promised to build last time her cats were ill were still at the same half way completion mark, but now were filled with old milk jugs and covered in shovels and other tools. Shredded and bent metal water bowls were strewn all over from the tigers chewing them, which is why there was no real water bowl in the pens.

The pen was clean. The owner still loved them. She loved them so much that she herself couldn’t see that nothing had changed. It was like time had stood still. Her love for the tigers blinded her so that she couldn’t even see one of them was dying right in front of her eyes. And he was dying without veterinary treatment. He was dying in pain. She was loving him to death.

My heart saddened not only for the tigers, but also for the owner. This was a person who cared about animals – even the feral cats in her garage. This was a person who used to volunteer her time with rescue groups. But this was no longer the person I once knew.

I asked the owner several times to surrender the cats to TWS. She dismissed this offer as if it was too painful to even be discussed. Instead, she asked for our help in finding a vet that would not charge her a large fee. She wanted to borrow our darting equipment or a “syringe full of drugs as she put it,” a transport crate and even a trailer. She called vets on her own, without leaving her name or location of the cats. We made several calls on her behalf, but no vet would take on the liability of the situation without all the proper equipment. To do that would mean she would need to surrender the cats to TWS and that she would not do. She said they were not like other cats at our sanctuary, they needed her.

But what Delta needed was vet care and a pain free end to his life.

Three days after I saw Delta, he passed. My heart broke, I shook to the core. The same seemed to happen for the remaining tiger Ohio who could be heard bellowing for his brother. Would Ohio have the same fate? He had a limp, a skin condition that looked as if hundreds of cigarettes were put out on his body. When would he be seen by a vet? How would he feel spending his days alone without Delta, his lifelong companion? Would the companionship of his owner be enough for him like it was for her? Doesn’t Ohio deserve to have companionship of his own kind?

Every day since Delta’s death I am overwhelmed with sadness and anger. Then the guilt flows over me. Could I have done something more? Should I have done something more? But then the core truth hits me. I was powerless, just like Delta. The power lies within his owner to put the tigers first, but instead she continues to put her own feeling first. The feeling that she loves Delta and Ohio and would have missed them. She also had, and has, the power to continue vet care for the cats, to purchase transport crates, darting equipment and anything else that is needed to care for tigers. She failed to do that even if her intentions were good.

I know blame seems easy. The owner’s family blames us for not finding a vet, for not helping pay the bills. They also blame us for answering questions when authorities called. The blame and accusations hurt, but those feelings aren’t mine. In my opinion, it may be their own guilt of knowing they did not do right by Delta. In my eyes, he died a slow, painful death. Emails from the owner show months had gone by where he wasn’t properly eating. Weeks went by once he was in excruciating pain and would rarely get up, yet the owner would not initally pay the $600 fee one vet quoted her. After confronting her that Delta was dying on the evening of my visit – she finally made an appointment for the next week. But it was too late, Delta died just three days later.

Even though neither I, nor TWS has the power to change what happened to Delta or what is ahead for Ohio, I know I had to tell my story. I will think about them every day and our hearts and doors of TWS will always be open to provide Ohio a home – free of charge. But the ones with the power – his owner or authorities – are the only ones who can accept this offer. Ohio is powerless to do so.

Director

Tammy Thies

The tigers names were changed for this article.

]]>http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/tiger-death/feed/0Federal legislation seeks to protect big cats, as tiger and cougar are rescued in Ohiohttp://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/federal-legislation-seeks-to-protect-big-cats-as-tiger-and-cougar-are-rescued-in-ohio/
http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/federal-legislation-seeks-to-protect-big-cats-as-tiger-and-cougar-are-rescued-in-ohio/#commentsMon, 26 Mar 2012 09:34:24 +0000?p=7211(Yarmouth Port, MA – 26 March 2012) – Today, in Ashland, Ohio, Nikita, a 7-year-old white tiger and Tasha, a 10-year-old cougar are being loaded onto a rescue trailer and moving 800 miles away to their new home at The Wildcat Sanctuary. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW- www.ifaw.org) is providing an emergency grant to help cover the costs of the move and spacious enclosure in Sandstone, Minnesota. The rescue comes on the heels of new federal legislation which seeks to prohibit private ownership of big cats.

“Since 2003, IFAW has helped rescue more than 30 tigers and lions from unsanctioned shelters, closing sanctuaries and other poor and unsafe living conditions in the US,” said Gail A’Brunzo, IFAW Animal Rescue Officer. “Big cats should never be kept as pets. When these wild animals are privately owned, the animals and their owners always suffer.”

Nikita’s first owner, Sam Mazzola was a breeder, exhibitor and ex-convict that used the tigress for public photo opportunities. After Mazzola’s death last year, Nikita was moved to her second home in Ohio where she is today. Nikita suffers from severe temperament issues. The sight of unfamiliar people and cameras sends her into explosive reactions which sometimes result in self-inflicted injuries.

Reminiscent of last year’s tragedy in neighboring Zanesville, Ohio, Tasha the cougar escaped from the garage she was confined to for nine years. Afraid that the cougar would be shot dead, her previous owner didn’t report the escape. Fortunately, Tasha eventually returned before she could pose a danger to people in the community.

Recognizing that stricter regulations were being put into place at the state level, with federal legislation to follow, and continued possession of these animals would prove difficult, the current owner is responsibly relinquishing them to The Wildcat Sanctuary.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nikita and Tasha to our sanctuary. The cats will go from a 300 square-foot cage to an expansive 8,000 square-foot free roaming habitat filled with perches, caves, and water features,” said Tammy Thies, Director of The Wildcat Sanctuary.

Given the alarming numbers of big cats kept as pets in the U.S., more stringent action at the federal level is necessary. Last month, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez, (D-CA), seeking to prohibit breeding and private possession of captive big cats. The “Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act” would ensure that lions, tigers and other dangerous big cats do not threaten public safety or end up living in deplorable conditions where they can be subject to mistreatment and cruelty. It will also serve to strengthen global big cat conservation efforts.

“In the wake of the incident in Zanesville, many have come to realize that the current patchwork of federal regulations and disparate state laws on big cat ownership isn’t working,” said Paul Todd, IFAW DC Office Campaigns Manager. “We need a single standard that will protect cats like Nikita and Tasha, as well as the communities where they live, from this kind of cruel and potentially dangerous situation.”

There are twice as many tigers living in captivity in the U.S. than exist in the wild today. Some 10,000 tigers live in captivity in the U.S., but as few as 3,000 tigers remain in the wild. In the past 21 years, U.S. incidents involving captive big cats have resulted in the deaths of 21 humans, 246 maulings, 254 escapes, 143 big cat deaths and 131 confiscations.

This is the second big cat rescue IFAW has worked on in Ohio. In October 2007, six abandoned big cats (two lions and four tigers) were rescued from an unlicensed facility in Gambier, Ohio and moved to sanctuaries in Florida and Texas.

About IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare)

Founded in 1969, IFAW saves animals in crisis around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Photos and video will be available for media use at www.ifawimages.com